


True To Your Heart

by mahisquared



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn, hopefully any way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-26 11:22:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15662238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mahisquared/pseuds/mahisquared
Summary: After your dear friend Soos invites you to stay at the Mystery Shack, you meet Stan Pines. You become friends...and maybe something more?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This work should update every Sunday, but due to, you know, life, it might not. Check my tumblr subwaystanwich for info on updates if one doesn't pop up.

Ah, Gravity Falls. All in all, quite a nice place to be, even though you hadn't chosen it yourself. The only downside was that you were, once more, working retail. You thought you were done with that, finished with that chapter of your life. But no, here you were, working in a place called The Mystery Shack.

What you would love to do would be to lead the tours of the oddities in the Mystery Shack, but that was up to the owner, your dearest friend Soos, that you had known since you were kids. He had inherited the place from some man you didn't know named...what was it...Stan? He seemed to be running the joint just fine with his fiance Melody, and you couldn't be more proud.

You, on the other hand, were working the cash register for the gift shop, dealing with the general public more directly. Sure you dealt with plenty of nice people, but there were plenty of rude people with things to say who popped in from time to time.And today...

“Who the hell are you?”

It was an older gentleman, breathtakingly handsome with a scowl on his face. He leaned against the checkout counter, looking furious.

“You ain't Wendy.”

“No I ain't,” you said, casually mocking his word choice. “My name is none of your business and--”

“I'm the _founder_ of this place, I think your name is plenty of my business!”

“Stanley,” a voice said, and an identical handsome man appeared. “She's just a worker here, nothing more.

The man named Stanley glared at you. “You gonna tell me your name or what?”

You stutter out your name, and Stanley nods.

“So where's Wendy?”

“I'm not allowed to give out schedules, company rule.”

“Damn I forgot about that,” Stan said, and swore. “Well whatever. I'm the founder, and that means this mostly my house. And my niblings--”

“Your _what?_ ”

“Great niece and nephew,” the other man supplied.

“--they'll be coming soon, and _they_ get the attic bedroom, so if you're staying here for some stupid reason and up there, clear out!”

“Well I'm not living up there _,_ ” you said. “So you don't have to worry about that.”

“Good,” Stanley said. “This is my brother Ford, and I go by Stan. You better get used to us this summer, because we're living here for the time being.”

“Great,” you mumbled.

“What was that?”

“I said great, as in wow fantastic!”

“That's what you better've said.” Stan said. He walked away, and his brother gave you an apologetic look before leaving. Soon after, Soos and the customers entered. When they all finally left you looked at Soos.

“So I met the founder,” you said acidly.

“Stan's here?” Soos said excitedly. “What did you think?”

“He was super rude to me,” you said, annoyed. Soos furrowed his brow.

“I wonder why?”

“He was expecting someone named Wendy.”

Soos nodded in understanding. “He doesn't always like what he doesn't know. He'll warm up to you, don't worry.”

“I dunno if I want him to,” you say so that Soos can't hear. But your shift is almost up, so you're going to have to see him soon anyways.

Finally, the Mystery Shack closed, and you headed into the living area of the shack. Stan and Ford are watching something with ducks in old timey clothes on the TV, and Soos followed you in.

“Ducktective!” he cries out happily, and joins the two older men on the couch. You sighed. Looks like making dinner is down to you and Melody. Typical.

“Stan really isn't that bad,” Melody said, as you pulled some chicken out of the freezer. You thawed it as Melody makes the picante sauce mixture.

“He seems like a jackass,” you said, tossing the chicken with the mixture.

“He can come off that way at first, but once you get to know him and his brother, they're really quite sweet.”

“Whatever,” you said, sauteing the chicken in a skillet.

“You got this?” Melody asks, and you nod.

“Soos taught me how to make this,” you said. “I'm fine.”

Melody nodded, and left, and you're left to work on your own. You begin humming a tune, when someone interrupted you.

“Well at least you can cook.”

You jumped and turned to see Stan standing there. Your eyes narrowed.

“What are you doing here?”

“This is my fuckin' house I think I can go where I want,” Stan said huffily. “What are you makin'?”

“Picante chicken,” you said. Stan nodded.

“Sounds good.”

“It will be.”

“So what are you doing here?” Stan asked. “Why you livin' here?”

You sighed. “Did Soos not tell you?”

“He said to ask you.”

You flipped the chicken, and stared at it as though it had done you a personal wrong. “I lived in a two bedroom apartment in Portland. Spendy ass place. My roommate suddenly bounced on me, and I was left with the full rent.”

“Wait, weren't they on the lease?”

“Our lease was up.”

“Oh I see.”

“So I had nowhere to go. I called up Soos just to talk, and he offered me a place here until I could get back on my feet. So here I am.”

“What about your job?”

“Quit it. Got a job at the Shack.”

“Got it. What a shitty situation.”

“Don't I know it,” you said, putting the chicken on a plate. “Whatever though. But...why do you care?”

“I want to know why some stranger is staying in my house,” Stan said. “Think I have the right to know.”

“So this really is your place?” you said, turning to look at him. Stan nodded.

“Lived in it for over 30 years. Left it to go on an around the world sailing trip with my twin, and said Soos could live here while I did. Came back for a quick visit, but didn't expect someone new to be livin' here.”

“I won't be here for _that_ long,” you said. “Just until I can find a place I can afford and a higher paying job, you know? Something more than minimum wage with health care.”

Stan nods. “Yeah, this is more of a...starter job. No way are we givin' that shit out.”

“What a kind man you are.”

“Look, I'm tryin' to make money, okay?” Stan said defensively. “Capitalism is evil and I'm profiting from it.”

“Whatever,” you said. “Dinner's ready.”

You let Soos and Melody know, and soon everyone was crowded around the small table.

“This is great!” Soos said happily. You beamed at him.

“High praise seeing as this is your grandma's recipe.”

“Next I'll teach you how to make tamales.”

The conversation is light, although you caught Stan looking at you every once and a while. You tried to ignore it, but you couldn't help but feel a little happy that such an attractive man was looking at you. Although, it was probably because you're new, and not because you're some great beauty.

“So where ARE you stayin'?” Stan asked you after dinner as you sat down in the living room. You frowned. Why the hell did he care?

“There's a large storage area that Soos turned into a guest room. I'm staying there.”

“Huh.” Stan said. “It wasn't a guest room when I was here.”

“Do you want to see it?” you ask slowly. Stan shrugged.

“Sure, why not?”

You led Stan to the guest room, privately glad that you hadn't trashed the room. Stan looked around and nodded.

“He did a good job,” Stan said.

“It's comfortable,” you said.

“Well...enjoy your stay I guess. I'll be upstairs if you need anything.”

“I'll probably go to Soos if I need something.” you said. There's an awkward pause.

“Goodnight,” Stan finally said.

“Night,” you said, and closed the door on him.

The next morning is fairly slow, and you're surprised when Stan enters the gift shop.

“How are sales?” he asks.

“Nobody's really here yet,” you said. Stan makes an annoyed face.

“That sucks,” he said. “Well, my niece and nephew will be here today, so they'll brighten up the place considerably.”

“So they're nice?” you asked. Stan got a fond look on his face.

“They're wonderful. But that means Soos and Melody are taking a month long trip to the coast and then to Seattle to get away...but also so that we all have somewhere to stay. Ford and I will be going on another trip after that.”

“Wait what?” you say, shocked. “He...he didn't tell me that!”

“He didn't? Shit, I was supposed to wait until he told you,” Stan mumbled. “Oh well. Well yeah, and you'll be here still and stuff.

Goddamnit. A whole MONTH with a crew of people you didn't know at all? Great. Stan left after a while, and Soos came in.

“Dude, nobody's here,” he said dejectedly. “So weird that--”

“A month?” you interrupted. “A whole MONTH with people I don't know?”

Soos blinked, and then looked guilty. “Look, we've been staying in Stan's room, and he needs somewhere to stay, and Melody and I, dude we've wanted to get away for a while!”

“Who's gonna run the shack?”

“It's gonna be closed.”

“Stan won't like that,” you said, crossing your arms.

“Actually, he's okay with it!” Soos said happily. “Took some convincing, but Melody kinda bullied him into it. She's good at that.”

You laughed. “She seems very head strong.”

“She is,” Soos says happily. Then he looked at you. “You're not mad, right?”

“I'll get over it,” you muttered. “I can take care of myself,” you said, a little louder. “And if you trust them...I guess I trust them too.”

“Awesome dude!” Soos said happily. “You'll learn to love 'em.”

“I hope so,” you mutter after him, wondering how weird this trip was going to get.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“You're playing music?”

You look up from your spot at the register to see Stan and Ford standing in front of you. You'd been lost in a daydream and hadn't noticed them pop in.

“Yeah?” you say. “Most stores do, I was surprised you guys didn't.”

Stan made a scoffing sound. “Well what the hell are you even playing?”

“Playin' some Beastie Boys,” you say.

“Who are they?” Ford asks curiously. “I've never heard of them.”

You blink in surprise.

“You've _never heard of--_? They're a group of white rappers from New York.”

Stan stared at Ford. “They're from the 70s, how did you not manage to hear their music?”

“Look, I don't listen to rap!” Ford said defensively. “Fiddleford and I mostly listened to either country music, classical music or music that Fiddleford came up with on his own! But...I kind of like this song. It has a nice feeling to it. What is it called?”

“Intergalactic,” you say. Ford smiles.

“Well, that's a promising title.”

Stan rolls his eyes. “So is this all you play? Old rap music?”

You glare at him. “You know what I have to say to you?” You clear your throat and close your eyes for a second. “If you try to knock me you'll get mocked! I'll stir fry you in my wok! Your knees'll start shakin' and your fingers pop, like a pinch on the neck of Mr. Spock!”

Stan blinks, and Ford looks intrigued. “Did you make that up?”

“Those were lyrics from the song,” you say, surprised you managed to remember them. “They seemed relevant.”

“They seem dorky,” Stan says, leaning on the counter. “With Spock and all that.”

“Can we restart the song?” Ford says. “Is there more about Spock?”

You sigh heavily. This was not how you were planning on starting your day. And you feel really embarrassed about repeating the lyrics. It had seemed like a good idea at the time and now? Terrible.

“Sure,” you say, and head over to your phone which is hooked up to the new sound system. You restart it, and turn back to the men who haven't budged an inch.

“So what kind of music do you have on--”

“Why are you here?” you interrupt. “Are you just here to bother me?”

“I wanted to make sure you're running the place how I want it to be run,” Stan says. “And Ford here has nothin' better to do I guess.”

“That is a lie,” Ford says, glaring at him. “Our niblings, Mabel and Dipper are coming very soon, and I wanted to be in here to greet them.”

Ah, that's right. You had completely forgotten that they were coming today.

“So...are they being driven here?” you ask. Ford shakes his head.

“They're coming by bus.”

“And you're gonna make them walk from the bus stop to here?”

Ford and Stan exchange surprised looks.

“I...I suppose we ought to meet them at the bus stop!” Ford says.

“Eh, it's not that long of a walk.”

“Then I shall meet them there,” Ford says, and exits the shop. You watch him leave, and then look at Stan.

“Aren't you gonna--?”

“No, I'm stayin' right here to make sure you run the shop how it's supposed to be run! And so far, I don't like it.”

“I'm running it how my actual boss Soos wants it to be run,” you say acidly. Stan looks shocked, and then glares at you.

“I count as your boss! This is my house, my store, my establishment! You gotta listen to ME! And today's the last day it's gonna be open for a month, so I want to see that last day go off without a hitch!”

“Well I'm keeping the music on,” you say.

“Change it to somethin' that's not rap,” he says.

“Fine,” you say. You change it to Paul Simon, and look at him. “Better?” you ask.

Stan shrugs. “I guess.”

Customers soon trickle in, and you begin to work your magic. You're a very good sales person, and know just how to get people to buy things. A quick look at Stan tells you that he seems impressed with your work ethic. Melody soon comes to relieve you for your ten minute break, and Stan follows you into the room that used to be his office.

“You get ten minute breaks now?” he asks. You frown.

“Yeah, it's the law,” you say. Stan chuckles.

“Never really paid that much attention to the law,” he says.

“Glad you're not my boss,” you say, sitting down in a chair and putting a timer on.

“Are ten minute breaks really that important?” Stan asks sitting next to you.

“Hell yeah!” you say. “Working with the public is hard work. Don't tell me you don't know that.”

Stan shrugs. “I don't really work in the shop. My job was to show people around the museum area of the place. That wasn't that hard.”

“I see,” you say. Five minutes pass, and Stan is still there. You give him a questioning look.

“Do you really not have anything else to do?” you ask.

“Not until Mabel and Dipper get here,” he says. “For now I'm just...waiting for them to get here, doing whatever to pass the time.”

“So you picked standing in here while I'm on my break?” you say. “You could be making sure Melody is 'running the place how you want it to be run.'”

“I trust her,” Stan says. “She knows what she's doin'. But I gotta say, you're pretty good at what you do. You have sales experience?”

“Yes,” you say. “But I'm trying to get a job outside of that. I went to school to be teacher, so that's what I want to do.”

“What age would you want to work with?”

“Elementary,” you say. “But at this point I'll take any job that pays well.”

“You say, working here.”

“Look, I don't have a lot of choice!” you say, frustrated. “I'm taking what I can get until I can find a place that'll give me enough cash to afford to pay rent on an apartment. I've been putting out resumes every single day.”

“Nobody's bitin'?” Stan asks.

“Not yet,” you say sadly. “But hopefully soon.”

The timer goes off, and you head back into the shop. Halfway through the rest of your shift, you hear the sound of excited voices that could only belong to children.

“A NEW PERSON!” squeals a young girl. You look up to see two teenagers standing in front of you. The one who had spoken was wearing a sweater too heavy for the weather and a wide grin on her face.

“What's your name? Where are you from? Why are you here?”

You're soon bombarded by questions that you try to answer as quickly as they come. The other teen is a young boy who is standing very close to Ford, eyeing you suspiciously.

“She's nice,” Ford says gently, and you're taken aback. You hadn't really been particularly nice to them, but you supposed that Ford was trying to comfort the shy child.

“This here is Mabel,” Stan says over Mabel's many questions. “And that's Dipper.” He jerks a thumb over his shoulder, indicating the shy boy.

“Dipper?” you ask curiously. That's an odd name.

“Nickname,” Dipper says. “But I'm not telling you my real name.”

“O-okay?” you say. He approaches cautiously.

“So why are you here?”

“I'm a friend of Soos',” you say. “He's letting me stay here for a while.”

“Hmm,” Dipper says. “Well if Soos trusts you...I guess I can too. Maybe.”

“Um...can I buy this?”

The family turns around to see a man standing behind them.

“Oh!” Ford says, and lets the man pass. “I forgot the store was still open. Come Mabel, Dipper. Let's get you set up in your room.”

You ring the man up, and Stan stays a moment longer before finally following his family into the house portion of the Shack. Finally, a moment alone.

Your moment alone is interrupted by Soos, who has a large smile on his face.

“So have you met Dipper and Mabel yet?” he says. “I heard they're here! Dude, you're totally gonna love them.”

“I did and...Dipper doesn't seem to like me, and Mabel talks a lot. But, I'm sure when I...you know, get to know them, we'll bond and whatever.”

“They're just nervous. Or...Dipper is anyway,” Soos says. “They'll warm up to you fast, don't even worry.”

“I won't,” you say with a smile. “I won't.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sponsored by Voice Box lmao I just really like them.

Soos had been right, the teenage twins warmed up to you pretty quickly. In fact they often hung out with you in the shop. While hanging out with teenagers wasn't your favorite thing in the world, the two twins were very nice, and you couldn't help but like them immensely. However, the one thing you didn't like was Mabel's constant questions about you and Stan.

One night, Mabel stood up and cleared her throat. You were all sitting in the living room watching some TV show, when she stood up in front of the set.

“Sit down!” Stan says. Mabel shakes her head no.

“I have something important to say,” she says.

“Well, hurry it up,” Stan grumbles.

“I've been trying to figure out the relationship between our new friend and Grunkle Stan,” she says. You and Stan exchange confused looks.

“I think I've finally cracked it!” she says. “So, I will sing it to you now.”

“Wait what?” Dipper says, looking up. “Mabel no.”

“Dearest darlingist momsie and popsicle...”

“MABEL NO!” Dipper says horrified. He turns to the rest of you, face pale as Mabel continues to sing.

“She's going through a musical phase and right now she's OBSESSED with Wicked.”

“Oh I went through that phase too,” you say, and you turn back to Mabel.

“...There's been some confusion for you see my roommate is...”

Dipper stands up and approaches Mabel who backs away from him.

“Mabel stop it!”

“My pulse is rushing, my head is reeling, my face is flushing, what is this feeling?”

“Um...” Stan says, looking at you. “I uh...don't know where this is going but...what's so funny?”

You already know where this song is going and you can't help but giggle.

“LOATHING. Unadulterated loathing! For your face, your voice, your clothing! Let's just say—I loathe it all! Every little trait however small, makes my very flesh began to crawl with simple utter loathing, there's a strange exhilaration, in such total detestation--”

“Okay okay, that's enough,” Stan finally says as you laugh. “I don't _detest_ her!”

“And I don't loathe Stan,” you say with that stupid smile smile on your face.

“But you guys are so mean to each other!” Mabel says, a frown on her face. You and Stan look at her in surprise.

“Are we?” you say. “I mean, maybe sometimes I'm a little...I dunno I didn't really think I was being mean.”

“Me either,” Stan says. “I mean maybe at first 'cause I didn't know ya, but...is that how it comes off?”

“It is!” Mabel says, stamping a foot. “I just want you guys to be nice to each other!”

“Mabel, it's okay,” Ford says gently. “If they aren't actually hurting each other's feelings, I think it's fine that they interact in a...strange manner.”

“Strange?” you say, surprised. Sure the two of you playfully insult each other and things like that, but is that really strange? It seems natural to you, it's fun it's--

Oh no.

Stan has returned to his food, but you look at him curiously. Could he be...could you be...could this be flirtation?

You internally cringe at the thought. Sure this man is attractive, but he's much older than you. By a mental calculation you'd guess he was at least 40 years your senior. But the easy way you two talked, and the way that your conversations seemed to leave you feeling warm inside...maybe you were flirting.

You spend the night wondering about this, curious as to if Stan was having the same thoughts as you were. And now that you thought about it, he really was an attractive man. Buff arms, and broad shoulders, with a grin that was...

The word sexy flashes across your mind in big neon letters, and you try to bat it away. You absolutely _cannot_ be having these thoughts.

You began to feel a bit nervous talking to Stan for the next few days, trying to figure out what exactly the two of you had. You didn't think it was that obvious until Stan finally asked you if everything was okay.

“Oh, yes, I'm fine,” you say. “Just you know...thinkin' about stuff.”

“Like what?” Stan asks, leaning on the counter.

“Like...I dunno, I'm worried about the shack closing for a month. That's a whole month I don't get paid.”

“You're gettin' free room and board though,” Stan says with a frown. “Not like you gotta pay rent.”

“Yeah, but I still have to save up,” you say.

“I guess,” Stan says with a shrug. “You'll be fine.”

“I hope so,” you say. “But I'm also thinking about...why do you hang out with me so much?”

Stan's eyes go wide. “You don't like it?”

“No, that's not it,” you say. “I just...you know, I'm curious. We don't really know each other and--”

“I kinda want to know you,” Stan says, and then turns bright red. “Not in like a... _you know_...I just...you seem nice, you're fun to talk to...might as well get to know ya if you're gonna be here the whole time I am.”

“Ford doesn't,” you say. Stan rolls his eyes.

“Ford doesn't really like people,” Stan says. “If you want to know him, you're gonna have ta seek him out. He's not gonna approach you.”

“He seems nice from when I've seen him,” you say. Stan nods.

“He is. Mostly. Like me.”

“I think you're nice!” you say, and Stan laughs.

“Really? Cause Mabel seemed to think we hated each other.”

“I call that banter,” you say.

“Don't call it that,” Stan says shaking his head. “Reminds me of when Dipper...well I don't know if he wants me to tell you...whatever, it reminds me of when he made this whole list of how to talk to his crush and added “casual banter” to it or something.”

“You saw the list?”

“Nah, Mabel told me about it.”

You nod. “You guys seem close.”

“We are,” Stan says proudly. “She reminds me a lot of me when I was a kid. Hopefully she turns out better than I did.”

“You're not bad,” you said. “But I won't call it banter if you don't want me flirting with you. I...not that I am,” you say. It's your turn to blush.

“I didn't think that's what you meant, don't worry,” Stan says quickly. The two of you look away, and then look back at each other.

“You know I'm too old for--”

“I'm not flirting!” you say defensively.

“I'm just sayin'!” Stan says, putting his hands up in surrender. “I gotta say it.”

“No you don't,” you mumble.

The topic changes pretty quickly, but you find yourself hung up on Stan's words. It shouldn't bother you that he told you that he's too old for you, you already knew that. But for some reason, you can't help but wonder if you could change his mind.

That night when you slid into bed, you heard a knock on your door.

“Come in!” you say, wondering who it could possibly be this late at night. To your surprise, it's Mabel.

“I thought you went to bed!” you say, sitting up.

“I did, but I couldn't go to sleep because I couldn't help but think about the new relationship blooming!”

“What new relationship?” you ask slowly.

“The relationship between you and my Grunkle Stan!” Mabel says cheerily.

“If by relationship you mean friendship--”

“No silly!” Mabel says, shaking her head. “You've clearly got something going on, and I was listening to your conversation today about flirting--”

“EXCUSE ME?” you say, face turning red. “You were eavesdropping?”

“Sorry,” Mabel said, looking appropriately abashed. “But I just had to!”

“No you didn't!”

“I did!” Mabel said. “And I think the two of you are doing some weird hate flirting that happens in the movies.”

“We're not--!”

“Don't deny it!” Mabel says. “I'm here to try and get something going! Turn these sparks into fire!”

“Mabel...”

“Oh come on, you know you want it!”

“I don't know that, actually,” you say. “And I don't want to ruin the friendship I have with him.”

“Look, what I think we should do is go to this place in Portland called Voice Box Karaoke. And we'll sing all these songs, and you'll sing a love song and look him in the eyes and--”

“Not happening,” you say. “Look, that's something that happens in books and movies, but in real life? That could ruin our friendship.”

“Or it could get you two together! Think about it, okay? And then let me know.”

You sigh heavily. “I'll think about it,” you finally say. “But I probably won't get back to you on it.”

Mabel squeals excitedly. “Yes you will!” she says. “Because I know you like like him and want him to like like you back!”

“Go to bed Mabel.”

Mabel leaves the room and you flop back on the bed. The idea of the two of you singing love songs to each other makes your heart flutter, but it's an utterly ridiculous plan that _won't work_. It'll change things, you know it will.

*** * ***

“Bye guys!” Soos and Melody give you all hugs before they get into their car to head to Seattle.

“Have a great time,” you say.

“We will!” Melody says. “And have a good time with these guys.”

“I'll try,” you say, and Melody laughs.

“They're good people.”

“I know.”

As soon as they leave, you start putting up the closed signs on the Mystery Shack, and turning off the lights in the shop. Surprisingly, you're actually going to miss working there. But now it's time to really buckle down on your job search.

The day is a scorcher however, and you can't believe that Soos hasn't installed central air conditioning.

“We should go to the pool!” Mabel says happily. “Did you bring a swimsuit?”

“No,” you say, and Mabel gets a wicked look on her face. “Then I know _exactly_ what we're doing this morning.”

You can't help but feel dread as Mabel asks Stan to take them to the shops. You have a feeling you know exactly what kind of suit Mabel is going to try and get you to buy.

 


End file.
